Quotes of the day

posted at 10:38 pm on June 3, 2011 by Allahpundit

“The emerging Republican presidential field draws tepid ratings. Just a quarter of voters (25%) have an excellent or good impression of the possible GOP candidates, and a separate survey conducted jointly with The Washington Post finds that negative descriptions of the field far outnumber positive ones. Asked for a single word to describe the GOP field, the top response is ‘unimpressed.’

“Of the party’s best-known possible candidates, only Mitt Romney has broad potential appeal. Large majorities have heard of four possible Republican candidates – Romney, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. But most who have heard of Palin and Gingrich say there is no chance they would vote for them (63% each). About as many (60%) say there is no chance they would support Paul.

“By contrast, far fewer voters (44%) who have heard of Romney have ruled out voting for him, while 51% say there is at least some chance they could support the former Massachusetts governor.”

***
“Normally I wouldn’t pay much attention to early polls given the name recognition issue and the fact that most Americans aren’t yet paying close attention to the 2012 presidential race. But what should be alarming to the Pawlenty folks is that we’ve now seen a number of polls in which former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain has been ahead of Pawlenty, despite his own lack of name recognition. Particularly troubling is the most recent poll to come out of Iowa from Public Policy Polling (PDF). Granted, it’s from a Democratic firm. But that said, Iowa is supposed to be Pawlenty’s strong state and yet he was stuck in sixth place at 10 percent in the PPP poll, with or without Sarah Palin in the race.

“Iowa’s influential Ames Straw poll is just over two months away. Cain seems to be gaining some traction in Iowa, and he’s endorsed the Fair Tax — and remember, Fair Tax supporters played a big role in Mike Huckabee’s strong showing in the 2007 Ames poll. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., has a more professional organization this time around and has won a number of early straw polls, driven by his core group of dedicated supporters. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., appears ready to jump into the race. And Romney, though he may not compete as hard in Iowa this time, still has organization there from his last run, not to mention plenty of money at his disposal. There’s a real risk that Pawlenty could have a lousy finish in the Ames Straw poll, and find it difficult to gain steam in Iowa afterwards. And if he doesn’t come out of Iowa with a strong showing in the actual caucus, it’s hard to see him going far in the rest of the country.”

“‘You gotta get [it] in your head right now,’ he instructed in his characteristic drawl, ‘I’m going to fight for my person. When it’s over, I am going to support the person that’s going to beat Barack Obama.’…

“‘And I don’t care if you nominate the most conservative candidate. There are going to be some people who don’t agree with them on everything,’ he said. ‘That’s just a fact.'”

***
“So much for dropping out — Donald Trump tells TPM he believes he can win the White House as an independent candidate, keeping his name in the presidential game despite declaring last month he would not run for the GOP nomination…

“‘I think I’d do great,’ he said, telling TPM he believed he could win the White House. As for whether he’ll run, he said it depended on the GOP nominee.

“‘Let’s see what happens with the Republicans, who they put up,’ he said.”

***

***
“In New York – where Palin stopped at Ellis Island – GOP Rep. Peter King mused that the Alaskan “probably has more hard-core support than any other candidate.”

‘But she needs to show that she can go beyond that, and this tour doesn’t accomplish that,’ said King, who is urging Rudy Giuliani to enter the 2012 race.

“To former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, Palin’s visit to his state seemed more or less irrelevant. Asked for his thoughts on her arrival Thursday, the Republican shrugged: ‘I don’t think she’s running.’”

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You just don’t get it. Palin’s not trying to win over the media. She is showing them to be the incompetent boobs they are and she’s winning. Palin knows that her biggest obstacle is not beating Jug Ears. She knows her biggest obstacle is beating the media. She knows that playing nice with the media won’t work. She gave the media a chance to ask her questions this week and you can be sure she has a notebook that reminds her of who the serious purveyors of truth are and who the cretins are.

NoNails on June 4, 2011 at 9:21 AM

Probably true. The reason she has such big negatives is that the people that “know of her” actually only know the media “Tina Fey” character. If she can beat that, it really doesn’t matter what P.BO does.

The GOP has NOT had a true Conservative Presidential nominee since 1984 (soon to be 28 years). Additionally, the GOP hasn’t had a Female Presidential nominee since it’s beginning in 1860 (152 years soon).

The GOP has NEVER been a smaller FedGov party…..they’ve only had an occasional nominee that believed….really believed it.

I am afraid that there will be too many states with liberals voting in our primaries whichwill destroy our chances of getting a conservative. But on the otherhand we may have enough Tea Party people excited enough to get out and vote in the primaries.

And it’s a better subject for late night comedians’ jokes than “Ha Ha, did you notice that gas is $5 a gallon and more people are unemployed!!!” If you have solid plans to fix the problems, the people will come.

Palin has to show that 63% who the real Palin is instead of the caricature they think she is.

The “real” Palin according to whom?

To some the real candidate is the one who shows who they are off the script. Speaking extemporaneously.

To others the real candidate is the one who hits all the right talking points.

To others the real candidate is the one the LSM says it is.

And to others the real candidate is the one who lives what they say.

Sarah is not reaching all those people and many of them are in that 63%.

Do you really not understand the silliness of your assertion that what someone says on this board will cause someone like you to stay on the anti-Palin side? You’ll be there regardless of anything that written here.

NoNails on June 4, 2011 at 9:28 AM

I didn’t assert that. What I said was that your personal insults do not help your cause. Those people who dislike Sarah have their reasons. Your insistence on demeaning them leads them to skip your comments. You might as well be speaking to the choir because those you insult are not going to read anything you have to say. How can your links to videos etc convince them when they wont read what you say because they don’t want to read the name calling, personal insults, and demeaning accusations?

These comments from you were the first I have read in many days and it was because I didn’t check the author of the comment like I usually do. But the first sentence out of your mouth was to call me a name.

Good griefies !! Assume, much ?
If ‘you ABP people’ refers to folks who don’t WANT her to run, or would not vote for her, your radar is waaaay off.
To me, she just sounded as though she might not run, because of HER desires, not mine NOR YOURS !!
Get over yourself.

I want you to know that I don’t think you are dense and I think your point is valid. To a degree. Despite some of the short stories I write here, I am a firm believer in communications. Brevity is the soul of wit, I believe I have heard somewhere before. I dislike the appearance of filling in minutes in the interview when concise detailed answers would serve everyone better. The differences we have are whether or not the flaw is fixable or fatal. I wonder if Gov. Palin (or staff) reads HotAir?

I bought a little book of them a while back and I would like to buy more single photos to hang. Unfortunately I am unemployed and right now I don’t see how to do it on that site. When I have money I will find a way.

She is a college educated adult that butchers sentence structure like a blind man hacking at a side of beef with a butter knife.

Although Palin’s sentence structure may sound unconventional it is not ‘butchered’. I have no problem with her extemporaneous, sans teleprompter style. Her thoughts do tie together unlike many speakers who go tangential and never complete their original point. I will take her authenticity any day over O’s so called intellectual stammer.

You think demeaning me is a isolated event. It isn’t. It is an accusation against every person who thinks Sarah is not a well spoken person and it bothers them. We were taught in school to use proper sentence structure and grammar. Calling a person a loon, troll, and moron because they expect that in a candidate is never going to win them over. These folks got passing grades in school and will not abide being called stupid.

To me, she just sounded as though she might not run, because of HER desires, not mine NOR YOURS !!
Get over yourself.

pambi on June 4, 2011 at 10:03 AM

Meh, I think she’s seriously considering running. That’s the only explanation for this tour. She doesn’t need it for the money or name recognition and she’s certainly not doing it for the GOP. She owes them nothing. In fact, if she does run it will be against both the Democrats and the GOP “establishment”.

That’s the only explanation for this tour.
pseudoforce on June 4, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Another one who refuses to take her explanations @ face value.
Not EVERYTHING she does is to promote her candidacy, peeps.
That’s right up there with ‘she quit to make millions’.
Getting so sick of people attributing ulterior motives to every move she makes, bc YOU just KNOW.

That’s the only explanation for this tour.
pseudoforce on June 4, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Another one who refuses to take her explanations @ face value.
Not EVERYTHING she does is to promote her candidacy, peeps.
That’s right up there with ‘she quit to make millions’.
Getting so sick of people attributing ulterior motives to every move she makes, bc YOU just KNOW.

pambi on June 4, 2011 at 10:52 AM

I’m not saying I know. I’m saying that’s the most logical conclusion. What is it exactly that YOU know?

You think demeaning me is a isolated event. It isn’t. It is an accusation against every person who thinks Sarah is not a well spoken person and it bothers them. We were taught in school to use proper sentence structure and grammar. Calling a person a loon, troll, and moron because they expect that in a candidate is never going to win them over. These folks got passing grades in school and will not abide being called stupid.

csdeven on June 4, 2011 at 9:21 AM
Oh crap! You know these people were graded on the
curve!!! LOL (so you don’t get snarky on me!)

You think demeaning me is a isolated event. It isn’t. It is an accusation against every person who thinks Sarah is not a well spoken person and it bothers them. We were taught in school to use proper sentence structure and grammar. Calling a person a loon, troll, and moron because they expect that in a candidate is never going to win them over. These folks got passing grades in school and will not abide being called stupid.

csdeven on June 4, 2011 at 9:21 AM

And for the record, I have called you obnoxious (and sundry other synonyms). I have called you wrong. I have even said that relying on polls to make decisions is stupid. But you’ll have a hard time find a post where I have called you or anyone else stupid.

It’s fascinating to watch this Palin stuff. They hate her, they despise her, they are frustrated that they haven’t destroyed her. They can’t believe she’s still smiling. They can’t believe she’s still drawing crowds. They can’t believe that she’s enjoying life. They can’t believe her family is still together. They can’t believe her husband hasn’t walked out on her. They can’t believe any of this. Folks, you know this as well as I do: When they set out to destroy you, they mean just that — and Palin’s not playing along with the script. She’s not acting destroyed. She’s not asking for forgiveness. She’s not begging them to leave her alone. She’s not changing in order to make them lighten up or anything. She’s just looking at ‘em and smiling.

The same goes for a lot of PDS types who call themselves “conservatives” as well. You can sense the frustration.

He who warned, uh, the…the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and um by makin’ sure that as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warnin’ shots and bells that uh we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free…and we were gonna be armed.

I’m not saying I know. I’m saying that’s the most logical conclusion. What is it exactly that YOU know?

pseudoforce on June 4, 2011 at 11:01 AM

All I know is what I’ve heard her say, and I take her statements @ face value, is all.
Right down to where she exlains that the bus tour, highlighting to other Americans the glorious founding of our country, WAS TODD’S IDEA !!!
(listen to her interview w/Greta, aboard the bus)

We can all call ourselves Republican, Democrat, & Independent but each one of us all have the same thing in common besides being Americans, we each deride, mock & show the same fortitude toward this woman whose only crime is wanting what is best for this country and our children. Some of us are parents & role models but just listen to how we respond to someone you don’t know or care to know. We have a split nation, one that believes that taking from others and allowing our government to control us is beneficial. We believe killing babies before they are born is the right of every woman but condemn the death penalty. We believe that everyone should have things for free whether they have earned it or not. We follow the media, our professors and our friends, are close-minded, because being different is a sin and we call ourselves Liberals. We hate and deride any thing that is different than us because we are smarter and know what is best. We see a nation with crippling debt, high unemployment, and we say nothing because we have a leader who is educated from Harvard and is highly intelligent, but has broken every promise he has told us, but it is the other guy’s fault. Reasoning & debate must be squashed by offering snide remarks and debasement. Fashion, being cool & doing what others do is our most important path in life.

On the other side of the tracks are the people who believe hard work, the Founding Fathers and individual responsibility is the answer. They call themselves Conservatives. Conservatives believe that I am responsible for my path in life, not the government, that all life is sacred including a baby’s, and that respect and caring for others is a good reflection of our lives. We want laws that are fair for all, not laws that are meant to control and we are open-minded and willing to listen to other ideas provided those ideas do not take away our liberties and our beliefs & moral compass. We may have gone to 3 or more colleges in hopes of bettering ourselves because we were born with no silver spoons in our mouths & made it through life by our hands and not by the hands of others. We are always willing to help those who are in need and don’t make fun of them because of that need, but expect them to better themselves through personal effort and not governmental interference. Family, country and God is generally our path in life.

You can certainly see the 2 stark differences because this is the path we have elected to follow, but what is hard for me to understand, is that if we really take a good look at ourselves, our demeanor, and character, shouldn’t there only be one correct path to follow? How can anyone, regardless of their political choice not see that the road our country is on is not for the best & the people that are leading us down this road could care less, yet people on both sides of the tracks continue to mock and jeer anyone who wants to steer you from continuing down this road. We both need to examine what we are doing and take a real hard look at ourselves. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you are actually seeing!

Palin isn’t running. It’s great comedy reading here about what a plan she is running, or something.

Her fans sure are delusional. Conveniently skip pass the most who have heard of Palin and Gingrich say there is no chance they would vote for them.

Who hasn’t heard of Palin?

Moesart on June 4, 2011 at 12:27 PM

So what? If she runs, she runs. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t. You care baout it at least as much as the most rabid Palinista. Your one-note snark routine is what’s comic. “Ah shore will be glad to see them thar Palinistas cryin’ in their beer…”

Palin isn’t running. It’s great comedy reading here about what a plan she is running, or something.

Her fans sure are delusional. Conveniently skip pass the most who have heard of Palin and Gingrich say there is no chance they would vote for them.

Who hasn’t heard of Palin?

Moesart on June 4, 2011 at 12:27 PM

You’re wasting a lot of time on something you claim isn’t going to happen. In the election being held in 17 months Barack Obama will be trying to defend an abysmal record. Things are going to get worse between now and then. Much worse. As a person who offered frequent, consistent and intelligent criticism of his disastrous policies, Palin will be well positioned to overcome the media created perception of her that currently exists.

“He who warned, uh, the … the British that they weren’t gonna be taking away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells and, um, by making sure that as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free … and we were gonna be armed.”

“He who warned, uh, the … the British that they weren’t gonna be taking away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells and, um, by making sure that as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free … and we were gonna be armed.”

Yeah, I just can’t bring myself to vote for that.

Ever.

beefytee on June 4, 2011 at 2:30 PM

What part? The correct facts part or the no teleprompter part?

Good luck with your teleprompter reading liar. We’ll be over here with the one who has the facts and can speak them without cues.

“He who warned, uh, the … the British that they weren’t gonna be taking away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells and, um, by making sure that as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free … and we were gonna be armed,” -Sarah Palin.

Yeah, I just can’t bring myself to vote for that. Ever. beefytee on June 4, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Revere did in fact tell the British that the colonial militias, who had been alerted, were waiting for them. Here is the original historical text written by Revere (spelling in original, bold added):

“I observed a Wood at a Small distance, & made for that. When I got there, out Started Six officers, on Horse back,and orderd me to dismount;-one of them, who appeared to have the command, examined me, where I came from,& what my Name Was? I told him. it was Revere, he asked if it was Paul? I told him yes He asked me if I was an express? I answered in the afirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston? I told him; and aded, that their troops had catched aground in passing the River, and that There would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the Country all the way up. He imediately rode towards those who stoppd us, when all five of them came down upon a full gallop; one of them, whom I afterwards found to be Major Mitchel, of the 5th Regiment, Clapped his pistol to my head, called me by name, & told me he was going to ask me some questions, & if I did not give him true answers, he would blow my brains out. He then asked me similar questions to those above. He then orderd me to mount my Horse, after searching me for arms…” -Paul Revere.

And:

“A townsman remembered that ‘repeated gunshots, the beating of drums and the ringing of bells filled the air.’…. Along the North Shore of Massachusetts, church bells began to toll and the heavy beat of drums could be heard for many miles in the night air.” “Paul Revere’s Ride” by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford University Press 1994)

And whom do you think that favors, the progs or the conservatives? Since the great majority of the nation continues to identify as conservative more than liberal, turnout increases will always favor the right. Let’s work to make it so.

You’re welcome, I guess. Whatever blows yer skirt up.
I believe her when she’s said, more than once, that this is not a campaign tour, and it seems you just won’t accept her word for that.
I do. I’m just not invested in speculations, when her words will suffice for the time being.
When she gives any indications either way, I’ll take her at her word.
Until then, I won’t posit that her actions = running.

For the umpteenth time: Eisenhower and Casey Stengel both “butchered” sentence structure. A Palin presidency, whatever else it might be, would not be the first high level exercise in elocutionary eccentricity.

Seth Halpern on June 4, 2011 at 9:34 AM

I’ll take plain spoken truth, if a bit “butchered” over bald faced lies, delivered with a honey tongue and impeccable elocution given the choice.

Understood. I’m curious as to why you didn’t respond IF their reason(s) for not liking Palin were due to a misperception of her record, policies and/or statements. You said you didn’t want to shill for a candidate and/or give an opinion. Refuting incorrect information (if that was the case) doesn’t necessarily constitute shilling for a candidate — I’ve refuted untrue info about Huck even though I’m not a fan. While not wanting to give an “opinion” could mean that you didn’t feel as though you could give an informed response in case of factual errors.

If the responses of the 5 were due to misperceptions, abdicating a chance to correct the record could impact Palin, as well as any other R candidate, as the seed of doubt regarding MSM memes wouldn’t be planted…

In order to refute what they said, I would have had to give opinions of it. IE…Sarah said she resigned for certain reasons, as we have seen on this blog, not even Palin supporters can agree on the reasons and their priority. I say it is because of family, others say it was to save herself money, and even others say it was to save Alaska. Exactly which version should I have told them was the truth? I obviously would tell them what I think. And that wouldn’t sit well with many people would it? I ask questions and record the answers. Period.

That interview tonight was not orchestrated by Fox to make her look bad. She was in a friendly setting and given softball questions. his is why 63% of voters will never vote for her. She has about 6 months to get it together.
csdeven on June 4, 2011 at 1:44 AM

Honestly, I didn’t see it as particularly bad, and I’m not always impressed with her public speaking abilities. At the very beginning, she sounded awkward, but very soon into the interview she sounded perfectly natural.

I agree some improvement might be needed, but if she really is working at it, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she was ready in time.

I honestly think the real problem she has with independents is that she comes on a bit too strong about all the good things about our country. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with her 100%. And moreover, I think a lot of her support comes from the fact that many on the right have been waiting forever for someone to stand up against liberal bitching about how awful our country is.

The problem is, independents tend to brush off political rhetoric from both sides more easily than the left and right. While we’ve been bristling over leftist insults, the independents have just sort of shrugged them off as meaningless blather. They haven’t taken it personally, so they don’t feel the need to fight back.

So when Sarah says something about how it’s so great to be out here with all you patriotic, Americans, the indepenents hear “Oh, you’re such a good little American, yes you are. Come here and give mommy a hug now”. It’s obvious to us that’s not what she means, but if you aren’t up to speed on all the political bickering of the last decade or so, that’s exactly how it sounds.

Oil and coal? Of course, it’s a fungible commodity and they don’t flag, you know, the molecules, where it’s going and where it’s not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it’s Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It’s got to flow into our domestic markets first.